2 men charged in Calgary home-security business scam

The Calgary Police Service has charged two men for allegedly running a fraudulent home-security business.

During a four-month investigation that began last November, investigators learned that two men allegedly created 80 fraudulent accounts and contracts for home security systems.

Police say the men, who are company directors of the Calgary-based home-security business, allegedly billed phony contracts to a parent company located in Saskatchewan. The company paid the men each time they signed up a new client because the business is a legitimate authorized dealer for the parent company.

Approximately $132,800 of fraudulent payouts were allegedly pocketed by the two men, according to CPS.

Last August, the parent company received complaints from customers who claimed they were being billed for services they did not sign up for.

By October 2021, the customers received payment rejections for customer contracts created by the Calgary-based business, which led the parent company to conduct an audit. The company found that none of the contracts were valid after the audit and executives then notified the CPS.

Approximately $132,800 of fraudulent payouts were allegedly pocketed by the two men, according to police officers. Both men were arrested in Calgary on March 17.

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“Fraud investigations often take several months to complete, due to their complexity,” Staff Sgt. Geoff Gawlinski said.

“We are proud that through collaborative efforts, we were able to lay charges against the individuals responsible for defrauding multiple people and a legitimate business out of thousands of dollars.”

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Christopher Luke Jellow, 29, was charged with one count each of fraud over $5,000, uttering forged documents, driving with a suspended license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and operating an unregistered motor vehicle. He also is known to use the alias of Luke Matheson, police said.

Navin Maghera, 46, was charged with one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of uttering forged documents. Police say he is also known to have used the alias of Nav Shipra.

Jellow is scheduled to appear in court on May 18 while Maghera will next appear in court on April 21.